Ponyboy Curtis
Ponyboy Curtis was a greaser, raised by his older brothers after their parents were killed in an auto wreck. He was considered to be a tagalong kid by Steve Randle, but the gang let him hang with them because he was "Soda and Darry's kid brother". Physical Appearance Ponyboy has light brown, almost red hair that was squared off in the front and and long in the back and sides. He is very proud of his hair that he describes as being "...long and silky, just like Soda's, only a little redder." He has grey-green eyes that he wished were more grey because he hated most people with green eyes. He describes himself as having a good build for someone his age, even if he is small. When he and Johnny ran away, Pony cut and bleached his hair, making him look "...like a blasted pansy." It turned out lighter than Soda's, and Pony felt like it was "...like being in a Halloween costume..." Relationships Family Pony is the youngest of three brothers. After their parents died in an auto wreck, Pony is taken care of by sixteen-year-old Sodapop and twenty-year-old Darrel, though most call him Darry. Soda works at a DX gas station with his best friend Steve, and Darry roofs houses. Not much is said about Ponyboy's relationship with his parents, but it is implied to have been good. Ponyboy, his father, and his brothers would go duck hunting, but he and Soda usually just played with the guns and scared the ducks away. Darry Darry is Pony's oldest brother, and his legal guardian after their parents died. In the beginning their relationship is very strained, with Darry yelling at him constantly about his school work. It seems that no matter what Pony does, Darry is never satisfied, and this makes Pony extremely angry. But Darry really just wanted what's best for Pony, and for him to get good grades and go to collage. When Pony came home later after falling asleep with Johnny in the corner lot, Darry became enraged and began screaming at Ponyboy, and then at Sodapop for defending him. This causing Pony to become angry himself, yelled at Darry, who in turn smacked him across the cheek. Not being able to take it anymore, Ponyboy ran out of the house, got Johnny, and the two of them ran away. While Pony was on the run, Darry got almost no sleep, extremely worried about his brother. And when they were reunited, the two of them both apologized a Darry admitted that he was scared they had lost another member of the family. And for the first time in his life, Ponyboy saw Darry cry. After that, things got better for the two of them. Darry didn't yell at Ponyboy as much, and the two of them fought in a rumble together. It wasn't until after Johnny and Dally died, and Pony became depressed, that Darry started yelling at him again, telling him to quit living in a vacuum and pay attention to his school work. When the two of them got in a big fight one night, Soda became very enraged and ran out of the house. The two of them ran after him, and after catching them he told his brothers that he hated it when they fought and tried to make him take sides. Neither Darry nor Ponyboy had realized the strain they were putting on their brother, and when they did, they agreed not to yell anymore. Soda Sodapop is Ponyboy's second-oldest brother, and one of his closest family members. Pony couldn't stand it when Soda dropped out of school, and didn't see why he thought he was dumb. Soda didn't get any sleep while Pony was gone, and wrote a letter that he gave to Dally, that he gave to Ponyboy. Pony said that Soda tried to understand him, which was more than Darry did. Very often, Soda would calm Pony down after Darry would yell at him, or make Darry stop yelling at him. The Gang The gang were the group of boys that Pony and his brothers grew up with, and consider family themselves. Although they might not agree on everything, they always help each other out and stick together. They were all really worried when Pony ran away, and Two-Bit even wanted to go to Texas, where there was a rumor they were, to find him and Johnny. Johnny Ponyboy and Johnny were good, if not best friends. They were the closest in age, Johnny being sixteen and Pony fourteen, and both a little different from everyone else. Johnny was sixteen, but looked Pony's age. Since he knew that Johnny would hardly ever speak up for himself, Ponyboy would accept invitations to go to the movies or etc for him, and they would go together. After Johnny murdered a Soc (in self defense) the two of them ran off in hiding so Johnny would not be caught. They stayed in an abandoned church in Windrixville, and their friendship grew stronger. They cut each other's hair, and Johnny bleached Pony's, to disguise themselves from the police. When buying supplies, Johnny remembered that Pony had always wanted a copy of Gone with the Wind, ''and bought one for him. Since Johnny couldn't read, Pony read the book out loud to pass the time, and played poker, (Pony owing Johnny $150 by the time they left the church). When Dally came to check on them, taking them to Dairy Queen and getting them food, Johnny announced that they were going back to turn themselves in, saying that it wasn't fair making Darry and Soda worry about Pony. When they got back to the church, however, they found it was on fire. Pony, realizing that they probably started the fire with a cigarette, went inside to save the children stuck inside. Johnny followed. The two of them rescued all of the children that were inside, and Pony got out as well. But Johnny wasn't so lucky. He was badly burned and crushed by falling wood. While Johnny was in the hospital, Pony went and visited him, telling him that he was going to be okay. He refused to believe that Johnny was going to die, knowing that the gang couldn't get along without him, for the same reason he needed them. When the time came and Johnny did ''die, his last words were "Stay Gold", telling him to stay different, and not get tough like Dally. But Pony refused to believe that Johnny was dead, insisting that he wasn't guilty of murder and was still alive. Dally Ponyboy never admitted to being a fan of Dally, but they got along fine. When he and Johnny were running away, they went to Dally in order to get help. Personality Ponyboy is described as having a high I.Q., being athletic, and 'dreamy'. He likes books, movies, and sunsets, which is different from his brothers. Although he is smart, Darry often comments that he " doesn't use his head." Like his brothers, Pony is very fond of chocolate things, such as cake or chocolate milk. He once commented on Soda saying if they "...made a chocolate cigarette, I'd (Ponyboy) have it made." When he, his brothers, and his dad would go duck hunting in the summer, Pony would hardly ever hit any ducks. This wasn't because he was a bad shot, though. He was actually the best shot in the family. Being very kind-hearted, Pony could never find it in himself to shoot any of the ducks. So he and Sodapop would mess around with the guns and scare the ducks away. Behind the Scenes When Ponyboy's name is printed in the paper in the Outsiders movie, his name is mistakenly printed Pony Boy Curtis, instead of Ponyboy Curtis. Category:characters